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FRANK ZICARELLI -- Sun Media

The face of the Raptors, it was Chris Bosh's face-up game that came to the forefront last night.

Matched up against Superman, Bosh produced one of those super-sublime efforts that has justified his inclusion among the game's elite in the previous three NBA all-star games.

In the game within the game, it was all Bosh against Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic as the Raptors big man led his team to a 127-110 win at the Air Canada Centre.

Howard, the reigning dunk champ who donned a Superman uniform this past weekend in New Orleans, got a steady dose of Bosh's quickness on the perimeter.

Oddly enough, on Bosh's first touch of the night, Howard stood his ground in the paint and forced his counterpart into an awkward shot, Howard's muscle clearly affecting Bosh's stroke.

"It's all about winning games,'' Bosh said after his fourth 40-point game of the season. "I was feeding off my teammates. We're tough to beat when we're playing with intensity."

Two young big men with two different offensive games, it made for an interesting night with Bosh and Howard sharing centre stage. Combined, Bosh and Howard, who poured in 37 points, missed only five shots from the field.

The key for Bosh was his silky-smooth jump shot as he forced Howard to extend his defence. The farther Howard ventured away from the post, the more lethal Bosh became, his ability to put the ball on the floor more decisive and dominant.

REVERSE DUNK

On one move, Bosh took Howard off the dribble, drove the baseline and scored on a reverse dunk, one of many Magical moments for Bosh and the Raptors, who didn't miss many of their open looks.

Bosh even spotted up beyond the arc and calmly drained a three-pointer, his third of the season.

By the break, Bosh had 24 points, making 10 of 11 shots.

"I just told the coaches at halftime when they went into the locker room to just leave him (Bosh) alone,'' head coach Sam Mitchell said.

"Don't coach him because he doesn't need our help right now with the way he was playing."

The Raptors provided little resistance against Howard, but the Magic, which played an exceptional road game the previous night against Detroit, looked one step slow, its shots a little short until the visitors mounted a comeback in the final period when they went on a 14-2 run.

With Howard drawing so much attention from opposing defences, Orlando wants to spread the floor and spot up shooters on the perimeter.

The Raptors don't have a forceful post player, but they, too, spread the floor through ball movement and by making the extra pass.

So efficient and effective were the Raptors that they took a 102-82 lead into the fourth quarter by making more than 60% of their attempts.

It seemed like everyone, save for Andrea Bargnani, was knocking down shots.

Bargnani went 1-of-8 from the field before he was given the hook in the third quarter.